Games of a Madman
by Jian Ng
Summary: Haru Yoshioka was dying for another escape from her mundane life with the Cat Bureau. Her wish was granted when she met a particular Russian Blue in one fateful afternoon. However, as always, she got more than what she bargained for, this time, too much.
1. Chapter 1: Red Letter Day

Chapter cover (replace "*dot*" with "."): drive*dot*google*dot*com/file/d/156ZGsni7zId8srZRLf3PbZ7_jhicA7X-/view?usp=sharing

Story cover (better quality): drive*dot*google*dot*com/file/d/1GIWDNZ2dd6vHqrbMqiaQlXOd7qJWWunb/view?usp=sharing

* * *

Haru missed the Cat Bureau.

It was over a year since the day she climbed the tower leading to the portal joining the human world to the Cat Kingdom. At that time, she would never have thought of returning, especially with the crazy King still around, but here she is, sitting at a Café, dying for another adventure.

"Why must my life be this mundane?" Haru muttered to herself while she stared at an empty street. She had been visiting the Cat Bureau quite frequently since the day she left the Cat Kingdom, and she was always welcomed with open arms by Baron and served cake and hot tea. However, recently, there was more silence in their conversations than words, with each visit, they bid farewell too early than Haru would like. Until when Haru had to study for her high school exams, she decided to halt her visits to the Cat Bureau for a few weeks to concentrate on her studies, she was supposed to revisit them after the examination.

But she couldn't find a reason to.

She couldn't help but feel that she is wasting their time, especially since she was told by Toto that more people, or rather, cats, has been seeking their help since their appearance in the castle.

Haru's mind wandered aimlessly for a while, occasionally sipping her tea (which has gone cold by now).

' _Oh, how I missed Baron's special blend…'_ she thought to herself.

' _Baron's own blend always seems to have a taste distinct from mine, I couldn't for the life of me recreate it…'_

Haru smiled to herself as her daydream continues. Her eyes wandering the streets and counted the passing cats. It's a habit she somehow took on after her adventures in the Cat Kingdom. _'I wonder if that is one of the messengers…'_ Her thoughts drifted alongside the wind as the day lingers on.

' _Could that be Natoru…nah, Natoru's tail is a darker shade of brown…'_ Haru's gaze shifted from cat to cat.

' _Perhaps…maybe not…is that…nah…that blue one looks a little familiar…is that…ohh'_ Of course, who can possibly find another cat like Lune?

"Psst, hey!"

The Russian Blue turned as he noticed Haru's call. His mismatched eyes widened slightly at the sight at his saviour for the first time in over a year. In fact, he almost dropped a piece of paper he was carrying in his mouth.

' _Wait, what's he holding?'_ Lune trotted to Haru, then tugged at her shoelace.

"Do you want me to follow you, Lune?" Lune nodded in response.

"Alright, Lune, hold on." Haru finished the rest of her (cold) tea, then followed Lune as he leads her to an alley.

"Haru! It's been a year hasn't it?" Lune stands up to greet Haru after he made sure no one is nearby to eavesdrop on them, a great beam plastered on his face.

"I think so, Lune. I never expected to see you here! How's it going, Lune? How's Yuki?" Haru responded with a delighted smile of her own, clearly joyed to see her friend.

"Oh, it's splendid Haru, me and Yuki are doing splendidly. We have to make some amendments to mistakes Father made during his reign, but otherwise, we can never be happier."

"I'm so happy for you, Lune!"

"What about you Haru, you've grown into a beautiful lady! Have you been visiting the Bureau?" Haru blushed slightly at Lune's remark

"Oh, I'm flattered, Lune. Life is kind of boring for the time being, but I can manage. I've been visiting the Bureau a few months ago…but…recently I couldn't seem to able to strike up a lasting conversation with Baron anymore…and they've been busy with cases recently, sometimes I can't even see Muta at the crossroads, so I figured I shouldn't be bothering them." Haru's smile faded a little as she told her recent problems to Lune.

"Ah…I see…looks like their visit to the castle made a positive impact on business." Haru gave a small giggle at Lune's attempt to cheer her up.

"Anyways, can you come?"

"Come? To where?"

"Next week's ball, Baron told you, didn't he?"

"Ball? No…I haven't heard from Baron in weeks…"

"Huh…peculiar…I sent an invitation to the Cat Bureau earlier this week and left a note to tell him to pass the word to you…I don't think Baron is one to procrastinate."

"Me neither."

"You said you haven't visited the Cat Bureau in a while right? Here's your chance, Haru. Let's pay them a visit, shall we?"

"Of course!"

Haru is delighted to be able to meet Muta, Toto and especially Baron again. The pair walked together, until their journey stops at the crossroad where Muta usually dozes off.

' _Where could he be?'_

Haru wondered as she started looking for the large cat, it wasn't long until a giant ball of fur caught her eye, resting on the chair like an oversized cushion. Grinning in content, she walked quickly to the chair Muta is sleeping on, with the royal cat following closely behind.

"Hey, Muta." She whispered to Muta's ear.

"Hmm?" Muta woke with a groan, his narrow, grumpy eyes looked at Haru, then at Lune.

"Lead the way for us, will you?" Muta exchanged glances with Haru and Lune as his sleepiness gradually wears off.

"Follow me." He said as he jumped down from his 'bed' and started leading them through the complicated alleys and rooftop system.

It seems that Muta sometimes take different routes to the Bureau, when she tried to go there by herself in the few occasions where she couldn't find Muta, she wandered aimlessly through the network, climbing and walking through familiar landscape only to end up in unchartered territory,

' _Perhaps the place is protected by an enchantment of sorts, perhaps one can only reach it by themselves when they really needed help, I got to ask Baron someday_.'

After a few minutes of running, climbing and squeezing through tight alleyways and rooftops, she arrived at the familiar arch that marks the entrance of the illustrious world the Cat Bureau is in. Muta started walking on his hind legs as soon as he crosses the arch, like he always does. Haru and Lune followed suit, as she turned her head, Haru is greeted by the sight of the Bureau once more, the memories she had with it, from the time where she sat on Muta by accident, to the moment when Baron jumped off the school rooftop only to be caught by Toto, they flooded back to her as she stared at the small house, a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that they got themselves a new mailbox, with a small lock and a slit to put the newspaper or letters in, and Baron is not standing in front of the window like he usually does when free. Muta walked to the Bureau door and rang a bell.

"Oi Baron, chicky is here!"

She can hear the taps of Baron's shoes as he walks towards the door to answer it. The door swung open, revealing the handsome figurine behind it. Baron wasn't wearing his top hat or coat.

Haru can see Baron's eyes widen slightly and his whiskers twitch as he saw his visitors.

"Good afternoon, Haru." He then turned to Lune and bowed.

"Your majesty."

' _Hold on, your majesty?'_

"Oh Baron, skip the formalities, I'm no majesty in this world, over here I'm no more than an ordinary cat, so we speak to each other like one." Baron straightened himself.

"Sorry, but, are you a king now, Lune?" Haru asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, Haru. The old King decided to give up his throne when you left the kingdom. Lune is now king, Yuki is queen." Baron answered for Lune.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two!"

Haru beamed at the thought of Lune and Yuki being the ruler of the Cat Kingdom, perhaps going back isn't a bad idea after all.

"Baron, is that cake I smell?" Muta called out to Baron as his nose twitched at the smell.

"Yes, Muta, and no, it is not ready yet. You have to wait for it to cool." Baron answered as he held the Bureau's door open.

"Please, come inside," Baron said as he invited the duo inside politely.

"That wouldn't be necessary, Baron. We do not plan to stay for long."

"I insist, King." Lune smiled as he let out a sigh.

"If you insist Baron. Actually, the place does smell like cake, you've convinced me."

Both Lune and Haru entered the Bureau (with Haru squeezing through the small doors).

' _Muta is right, the place does smell like freshly baked cake…'_ Haru thought as she inhales, savouring the sweet smell of Muta's favourite dessert. She noticed a large jar full of chocolate chip cookies are on the table on the middle of the Bureau.

"Argh, I can't stand the smell anymore," Muta said as he sat down on a couch, took the large jar of chocolate chip cookies into his arms and removes the lid to start helping himself.

' _Oh, Muta. You haven't changed one bit.'_ Haru thought as she watched Muta munched on the cookies at an alarming rate.

' _If only I live in the Bureau. I could eat anytime I want, Baron somehow kept the shelves full of food even with Muta around.'_ Before she knew it, the jar full of cookies is almost empty.

"Clink." Her attention was drawn to the table as Baron put 2 teacups on the table, and later, a teapot full of hot tea, with milk, sugar and lemon beside it. It's pretty much a full set, fit for a tea session with the King himself.

"Oh, Baron you don't have to," Lune said as Baron poured tea into both teacups. Baron only smiled.

Their attention is drawn to the sound of another bell.

"I believe the cake is ready," Baron said as he walked towards the back of the Bureau, took out two large plates, then put two Angel Food Cakes on each plate, before dabbing some whipped cream over and around one of them, Baron does all of this as if he has trained all his life for it, before any of them knew, two delicious looking cakes were brought to them, as well as a large bowl of whipped cream, he put one of them on the table, and gave the second cake entirely to Muta, who chuckled gleefully as he accepted the cake, jar of cookies already empty.

"My, my, does this smell good!" Lune exclaimed as he cut a piece of the cake for himself, and another for Haru.

"Thank you, Lune." Haru happily accepted the cake, and was Lune right, the cake smelled divine.

"I would hire you for the castle's head chef any day, Baron," Lune said jokingly as he took a big bite at the cake, savouring the sweet taste of the cake.

"With a friend like Muta, sometimes you'll have to go the extra distance to keep him."

Haru did the same, and it was the best she had yet.

' _Baron's cake tasted so differently when freshly out of the oven, I could eat this for my entire life without complaint!'_ Haru thought to herself as she licked her lips.

"At least I know one of the reasons cats like to visit the Bureau now." Lune chuckled as he took another bite, the cake melting in his mouth.

"Baron, dear god, you won't believe how far I have to fly to get these berries, the old tree is cut down! The nearest I found is miles away to the South, I don't think it's as good as…" Toto landed on the balcony, mulberries in his beak, quite out of breath and complaining loudly.

"Oh…"

Toto was silenced at the sight of Haru and Lune as he saw the guests.

"Ah, Haru…and your majesty, I'm sorry for the ruckus earlier, I was quite tired just now and…"

"Shut up, chicken! You've made enough noise already!"

"No one asked you, marshmallow!"

"Enough, you two!"

Baron interrupted in time as Toto is just about to dive on Muta. "Toto, thank you for the berries, now please take a seat," Baron said.

"Fine…" the stone gargoyle flapped down from the balcony, exchanging glares with Muta. Haru giggled at the fighting pair, they never seem to stop fighting, but they still got each other's back when the other needs it, if that isn't true friendship, she doesn't know what is.

"Before we forget, I suppose you came here for a reason, King?" Baron asked as Lune is about to take another bite at his cake.

"Ah, yes, yes. I almost forgot." Lune put down his fork as he remembered his mission.

"Have you received my invitation to the Cat Kingdom next week?"

"Your invitation to the Cat Kingdom?"

"Yes."

Baron stroked his own chin as he thought.

"No…I don't believe I had…Muta? Toto?" Both shook their heads.

"Hmm…are you sure they are delivered?" Baron walked towards his desk as he asks, before disappearing behind it

"I'm certain, Baron. I oversee their task personally."

"I see…" Haru can see that Baron has opened a drawer in his desk and began searching through some papers.

Baron's ginger head popped up from behind his desk as he shut the drawer.

"I've searched through all the letters I received since the past month, I have yet to found one with the Royal coat of arms of the Cat Kingdom. No, I do not have it."

"How strange…but it's okay, I brought an extra letter just in case this situation should arise." Lune stood up and took out the piece of paper he was holding since Haru first saw him, opened it, and read loudly:

"His Majesty, King Lune - that's me, and Her Majesty Queen Yuki, of the Cat Kingdom, request the pleasure of the company of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, at a ball celebrating His Majesty King Lune and Her Majesty Queen Yuki's first wedding anniversary, held in the Royal Court of the Cat Kingdom. On Sunday, the fourteenth of September, at nine o'clock. All guests must dress in Evening Dress - that's White Tie...that's all you have to know."

Lune recited the contents in a comical way, quite like the living candelabra from one of the American animations she saw some time ago.

"That's yours, Baron. I have 3 more for each of you, they are basically all the same, but with your respective names written on each of them." Lune handed the letter to Baron, before taking out 3 more and handed one to Haru, Toto and Muta.

"Thank you, King. So, what do you think, Muta? Toto? Haru?"

"As long as there's dinner, I'm in."

"I'm invited as well? That's great, I'll be there, sure!"

"Uhh..."

All eyes are on Haru as they confirmed their arrival.

"I don't have a ball gown..."

"That will be the least of your worries, Haru. You can come early to the castle, and we'll get a ball gown for you, made by the finest fabric and the most talented tailor of the Cat Kingdom. There are gowns and suits for everyone, seek and you shall find, and we'll give them to you for free."

"Even for me?"

"Yes, Toto, even for you."

A giggle escaped Haru's lips as an image of a sharply dressed Toto asking a feline lady for a dance. Meanwhile, Muta just laughed loudly, clearly had the same thing in mind.

 _'Well...I suppose being back into the Cat Kingdom won't be too bad...Life is being terribly dull lately, this might be the only chance I'll get in a long time...actually...dancing the evening away with Baron does sound good...wait what was I thinking!?'_

"Hmm...yeah. Yes, Lune, I'll be happy to come."

"Splendid, splendid! Since I already know you are all going to be there, a reply letter won't be needed, Baron. Now that's settled...let's not waste food and good tea shall we?"

"You might just be the merriest king I've ever seen, Lune." Haru giggled as she sipped her tea.

 _'This time it tastes a little bit like mint...'_

"Oh, trust me, you'll love the feeling of being a cat again after days of being, 'King-like.', you'd think you can do anything you want. Well, let me tell you it's far from the truth...I can already see why Father lost his mind after years of reign..."

"Must not be easy..."

"Yeah...but lucky for me, I have Yuki by my side. She always put a smile on my face after a long day...no matter what happens." Lune looked outside the window of the Bureau, rays of sunlight painted on his smile. He really loves Yuki. Haru smiled at the new king of the Cat Kingdom, a warm feeling in her chest. _'If only I have a guy that can look at me like that...if only...'_

The door of the Bureau swung open as Baron walked inside.

 _'Strange...I didn't see him go outside.'_

He closed the door behind him as he asked. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, absolutely not, Baron."

"Good, I hope the tea hasn't gone bad, King."

"Of course not, it's as delicious as I first tasted it!" Lune laughed as he poured himself another cup.

"I'm happy to hear that..." Baron walked to Lune's side as he bent down.

"I have something I wanted to discuss with you, only," Baron whispered into Lune's ear.

Lune's smile melted.

Lune knew from Baron's tone, he wasn't going to discuss tea parties or Muta's favourite food, he meant something serious. Lune stood up and followed Baron upstairs, but not before turning back and said, with a smile: "I'll be back."

* * *

"King...I'll go straight to the point with you," Baron spoke as he shut the door. They are in a bedroom, a queen-sized (cat queen-sized) bed at one side of the room near the door, as well as a dressing table on one side, and a closet on the other, directly in front of them is a window and a desk under it.

"Your messenger did deliver the letter, but it was stolen by someone." Lune's eyes widened.

"Stolen? By whom? Why?"

"I don't know who did it, nor their intentions, but they surely don't want the Bureau back in the kingdom." Baron paced around the room as he spoke.

"You might've noticed I got myself a lock on the mailbox, for security reasons, since not long ago Muta caught someone stealing our newspaper. I got a friend of mine to enchant a magic seal onto the lock, nothing but the key can open it, and only me, Toto and Muta has the key…I smell residues of seal breaker magic in the mailbox, these types don't usually last long, but those in the mailbox lingered for several days, that means whoever did it is no amateur sorcerer or sorceress, they use powerful magic. However, I could not locate the source of the spell, the thief most likely opened a spotless portal right after he got the letter, I can find no trail. If it wasn't for the residue of seal breaker magic, I would never have thought someone stole it." Lune took a deep breath as he processed the information Baron told him.

Why would a sorcerer or sorceress want to steal the letter? Why would they want to prevent the Bureau from returning to the Cat Kingdom? What are they planning?

"Do you have any enemies, King? Someone that particularly dislikes you or Queen Yuki?"

"I…I don't think I'm in the position to say, but…no, I don't think so."

"Have you noticed something different in the castle or the kingdom? Something out of place?"

"Well…I have yet to notice anything different in the castle…but I think this might have something to do with some of the recent cases I've received in the Cat Kingdom."

Baron's ears visibly perked up as he heard the news, the sound of his shoes tapping on the ground stopped. He grabbed a chair in front of the desk and sat down, facing Lune.

"Tell me about it."

"Well, you see, many months ago, there has been a series of robberies happening on the West side of the village, they weren't the average theft or robbery done by one cat in a secluded place, they were planned heists, organised crime, carried out by five cats at once, and left before we can send soldiers to stop them. They have hit banks, jewellery stores and whatnot, they used strong magic to crack enchanted safes and vaults of banks, sometimes even opening portals to escape a sticky situation. They operate without a pattern, sometimes with days, weeks or months in between. Until about three weeks ago, we've successfully captured all the criminals that are involved in the activity, with the help of some magic of our own. All five were locked up. However, reports have shown that despite their extensive use of magic in their heists, they do not have the slightest bit of magic in them. One must at least possess some degree of magical elements in them to cast the simplest of spells. They can't even make feather float, much less crack enchanted vaults and open portals…this led us to believe that one of the prisoners is a decoy, and the sorcerer amongst them escaped. But they claimed otherwise. Since their capture, there have been no similar cases to be received. However, their heists have inspired several others to carry out…less professional robberies of their own, they were easily captured, but they are quite a headache to deal with…" Lune finished his story with a sigh.

"I see…do you have any idea where or when the mysterious cat will attempt the heist again?"

"I don't know…they operate without a pattern, they are unpredictable. Their heists sometimes span from small jewellery stores to large banks, if we want to set a range…we could've just included every property in the Cat Kingdom."

Lune covered his face with his paws has another sigh escaped his mouth.

Just as he thought, after all his hard work, the crime rates in the Cat Kingdom starts to lower; just as he thought he could've had a breather from all the problem he had with the criminals; just as he thought he could spend more time with Yuki and their kittens…

He had to deal with _this_.

Lune felt a hand on his back and turn to look at its owner. A pair of emerald green eyes looked back into his mismatched, blue-red ones.

"You're not in this alone, King. We'll help you on this case as much as we could. If the cat behind these criminal activities is still around, that means we must do everything in our power to stop them from doing any more harm. Moreover, I believe Muta would like to have a word with the letter thief." Lune felt a tug on the edge of his lips as he heard Baron offering his help in resolving the issue.

"Baron…you're the best friend anyone can have." Baron smiled back.

"I'm flattered. I would advise you to order your best and most trusted men to search the castle as well as its vicinity thoroughly, and tighten the security not only around the castle, but send men down to the village as patrol, this ought to make them think twice about doing anything stupid during the ball. Furthermore, I think the villagers will be happy to see soldiers actively running around doing work, just make sure they stay friendly to non-criminals." Lune thought about Baron's advice, he has been solving problems by identifying the problem and eliminate it, he could've tried to prevent them from happening in the first place…

"Alright, Baron, I'll put your advice to practice, and act accordingly. Thank you for…everything, Baron. You're the best help anyone can have." Baron replied with another smile.

"That's what the Cat Bureau is for, and we'll keep doing it until the end of our days."

* * *

Haru's head turned to the familiar taps of Baron's shoes, he and Lune have returned from their meeting upstairs. "Baron, Lune, everything okay?"

"Yes, Haru, everything is settled. Where's Muta?"

"That fat cat went back lazing around at the crossroads again. Let me tell ya, if you make dinner now, he's going to come rolling back like the giant bowling ball he is." Baron, Haru and Lune all laughed at Toto's remark.

' _Muta does look like the type to roll'_

"Anyways, please excuse me. I have to go rest a while, being beside the marshmallow take its toll, believe me." Toto hopped onto the balcony before flying back onto his stone pillar, where he materialises back into stone, but not before bidding farewell to Haru.

"See ya at the ball, Haru!"

"See ya!" Haru replied loudly, but Toto already turned into stone.

"Well, I think it's the time I'll have to say goodbye as well, Haru. Duty calls." Lune said to Haru as he prepared some shiny, chalky substance and drew a circle with it outside the Bureau.

"I look forward to the day of your arrival, Haru, and the Cat Bureau as well." Lune smiled as he waved his hand over the circle, the ground inside the circle starts to sink and tear before transforming into a portal, blue energy radiating from the edge of the magic door.

"Me too, Lune. I would really love to be back again." Haru smiled at the king.

"Glad to hear that, Haru. Until then, farewell." Lune hopped into the portal, and it disappeared soon afterwards. Haru stood in front of the Bureau door as she looked at the empty patch of the ground where Lune stood mere moments ago, before looking to her side to see Baron standing near her.

It's just she and Baron now.

"Uhh, Baron?"

"Yes?"

"I, uhh, I'm sorry to be a bother today. I wasn't planning to stay this long, and I pretty much had lunch here."

"It's okay, Haru. I have plenty of cakes and tea left." Baron gave her a reassuring smile, and it put the smallest of blushes on Haru's cheeks. There's just something with how Baron's lips curled up along his cheeks that makes his smiles so charming.

"…Thank you, Baron…I really enjoyed my time here, but I have to go now, I suppose I'll see you in a week then?"

"It's my pleasure, Haru. I look forward to the day you may return. Until then, farewell, Haru."

"Goodbye, Baron."

They waved each other goodbye as Haru disappeared behind the arch connecting the human world to the world where Baron lives in. Baron stood in front of the Bureau door for a while, just staring at where he saw Haru last, before going back into the Bureau. He emerged from the door moments later, with his coat on and top hat balanced between his ears. After locking the door behind him, he took out a small chalk, like what Lune used to open a portal, and drew a circle around his feet. He then put it back into his coat pocket, then held on to his hat.

 **Tap**

A portal opened as Baron tapped the soil with his cane, where Baron fell right through. The blue portal shut moments later, as the last rays of the setting sun hit the Bureau in silence.


	2. Chapter 2: The Cat Returns

Chapter 2: The Cat Returns

Chapter cover (replace "*dot*" with "."): drive*dot*google*dot*com/file/d/1Zy-urutg-u0GUHI9kQuCtksOpXAv3kJ4/view?usp=sharing

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"You better hurry up, or you'll be late!"

"Yes, mother, I'm coming!"

Haru barely managed to tie her hair properly before she hurriedly jogged through the dining room to the front door, where her mother stood, waiting.

"You haven't been late for anything since last year, you don't want to change that now, do you?" Mrs Yoshioka said with a smirk as her daughter was busy tying her shoelaces.

"No, I just spent a little more time tidying my hair, they're a huge mess this morning..."

"Hmm...well you better get moving, don't want to keep the lucky boy waiting, now."

"MUM!"

Mrs Yoshioka laughed at Haru's irritated, blushing face.

"You think you can hide your blush from me? You never had that before, only when last year, you just turned into a new person out of the blue. I was young once, Haru, believe it or not. I know what it looks like."

"...Fine..."

Haru grumbled as she tightened the last knot on her shoe.

"I'm on my way."

"Take care, Haru! Stay safe, love you!"

"Love you too, mum!"

With that, Haru went along her merry way. The Saturday streets were busy with pedestrians, cars come and go frequently, and the sounds of cheerful greetings rang through the shophouses. Haru had only one destination in mind; reaching the same crossroad, finding the same white cat, and back to the same magical realm. It wasn't long before the long, singular street split into four, and Haru was quick to notice a napping white cat. She quickly approached the fast-asleep bubble of fur.

"Hey, Muta."

"Hmm?"

A single lazy eye stared back at Haru as Muta woke from his slumber. The large cat sat up as a yawn split his sleepy face. As soon as Muta was done licking his lips, he hopped down from his silver bed and was on his journey to the Bureau. In a few short minutes, the atmosphere began to change, and the duo once again returned to the magical Cat Bureau, the statue of a crow stood high in the centre, surrounded by miniature buildings. Muta, having stood up on his hind legs, walked towards the large (relative to the building) wooden doors of the Bureau, the sweet smell inside diffused into the air outside almost immediately.

 _I missed this place already..._

Haru peered inside the small building, hoping to see Baron's sharply dressed figure. She did. But Baron was doing something she had never seen him do. Baron was sitting on a chair dozing off, a book on his lap. Muta grumbled quietly as he walked towards the sleeping figure.

"Baron, wake up!"

No response.

"Baron, chicky's here, wake up!"

Silence.

Muta, slightly agitated, raised his voice.

"Get up, I say!"

Uh-oh.

"OI!"

Haru giggled as Baron nearly fell from the wooden chair as he was woken abruptly by nearly a hundred decibels right in his ear.

"Looks like Muta isn't the one that likes to sleep."

The brunette laughed as Muta grumbled loudly at her remark. Baron was busy shaking the confusion out of his head when his gleaming eyes caught sight of Haru.

"Oh...I'm awfully sorry, Miss Haru. I must've dozed off by accident..."

"No, no, don't be."

Baron looked apologetically at Haru before clearing his throat and glanced at the grandfather clock.

"It seems that you arrived just in time, Miss Haru. We can depart any time now."

Before Haru knew it, she heard the resonant, high pitched noise of a portal forming right behind her, followed by the sound of Toto's wings fluttering to life. Lune's head emerged from the portal as he peered over to see his guests. He greeted them with a big smile and hopped straight up through the portal and landed gracefully at the edge.

"Why, looks like we're all here! This portal lead straight to the castle, we can jump right in as soon as you're ready."

The sound of Baron engaging the locks on the bureau doors answered Lune's question.

"I'm ready to leave. Muta? Toto? Miss Haru?"

"Hmph."

"Yep."

"Yeah."

"If that's so, please follow me."

Lune led the way as he jumped straight into the interdimensional hole on the ground, disappearing into the glowing light beneath. Baron was the next to follow, Muta was about to follow suit before he came to an abrupt stop.

The portal was too tight of a fit.

Muta groaned as he realised that the size of the portal didn't suit him at all, if he tried to jump through it, he would surely get stuck. It seemed that the person at the other end acknowledged Muta's distress as the portal magically increased in size, allowing Muta to fit through.

Toto snickered behind Haru as he tried not to burst out laughing.

"Oi, don't get cocky there, chicken! You won't fit through that tiny hole either!"

Toto answered only by laughing harder.

Haru herself was busy holding in laughter at the sight of a grumpy Muta jumping through the portal, which he fit through with no issues. Haru felt a nudge behind her as Toto urged her to go on.

"Go on, Haru. I'll follow suit."

"Alright."

It wasn't until Haru walked in front of the portal that she realised she isn't one that can fit through the portal easily either.

 _Perhaps I shouldn't laugh at Muta earlier…_

Haru carefully sat down at the edge of the portal, lowered both her legs into the portal first, before slipping her entire body through. It was quite a tight fit at the entrance, but the tight feeling disappeared as soon as she went through the other side, her body now shrunk immediately after passing through the portal. Haru landed with a slight stumble as she regained her balance after falling some distance. As soon as she regained her footing, she glanced around her surroundings; she seemed to be standing in the middle of a round room, or rather, a chamber of sorts, under her was a beautifully carved marble platform; a large, Muta-sized portal above her; surrounding her, smooth, marble walls, each with engravings of their own, and of course, Lune, Baron, and Muta are all on the other side of the room, waiting for her. Haru left the platform and stepped onto the carpet surrounding the centre of the room to reach her companions. Lune is the first to speak.

"How's the ride, Haru? I hope it's not too small."

"No, I fit just fine actually, thank you."

"Glad to hear that."

Their little conversation ended when they heard talon hitting marble, Toto was through. Haru's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the crow, having only saw Toto when she is human-sized, she forgot how large Toto is relative to Muta and Baron. Lune gathered their attention by clapping his paws.

"Looks like the party's all here! Since I have some more free time to spare, I'll take you all on a tour around the castle to familiarise a bit, show you where the important rooms are, in case you need them."

The group of five left the chamber, Haru looked back at the marble room again, the portal closed behind them, a small plate beside the entrance read: Portal Chamber.

 _Huh, I can suddenly read their weird cat language now…_

Haru simply brushed her thoughts away as she followed behind Lune, going on a tour around the castle, and starting a brand-new journey in the Cat Kingdom. They entered a large hallway as soon as they exited the portal chamber, several cats could be spotted busily running around carrying plates and whatnot. They quickly arrived at two arch doors of sorts, covered only by two red curtains.

"This is the dressing room, some of you might remember them. The left room is for ladies, the right is for gentlemen. Whenever you feel like changing, all you have to do is walk in, the servants inside are always ready for guests."

Lune quickly introduced the dressing room to the group, pausing his steps while he was at it. Nostalgia swept through Haru as she stared at the two rooms, just one year ago, she was here getting dressed up as Lune's bride, while Muta almost got himself drowned in jelly. It felt like yesterday, and a thousand years ago at the same time.

"…And Muta, there's no food on the right room."

Only Haru giggled at the statement while both Baron and Toto were confused as to why Lune said it out of the blue. They quickly made their way to the stairwell, where two guards stood. Unlike the previous Cat King's guards, who only wore their green coat of fur, these wore uniforms, much like Lune's (then prince) personal guards when he came to Haru's rescue; however, these cats wore mostly white and gold, in contrast to the ones Lune had, who wore red and gold. These guards also carried a sword each.

"These are the Crown Guards. They are responsible for the safety of the Royal Family. If you are having trouble, just ask them for help, otherwise, please do not disturb them while they're doing their job."

The Guards simply stared straight ahead without moving, if one did not look closely, they didn't even look like they're breathing at all, much like one of the red coated Queen's Guards in England. As the group walked down the spiralling stairs, Lune whispered:

"You were lucky these guys weren't around when you made your escape, otherwise you'd have much more trouble."

After reaching the lower level of the castle, they walked through a few more hallways, passed by the washroom, before eventually reaching a balcony, overlooking the maze that guarded the tower, which housed the portal to the human world. Two cats stood at the end, a grey cat, and what seemed to be, Natoru, watching the cats beneath. The grey one turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps, green eyes staring back at them, the other seem to have noticed as they, too, turned around to meet their king, and guests.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, your majesty."

They all said and bowed in unison.

"Yes, my name is Natoru, Miss Haru, nice to see you again, welcome back!"

Before the grey cat can straighten himself, Natoru was already in front of Haru, shaking her hands enthusiastically, the biggest grin plastered on the brown cat's face.

"Yes, yes, Natoru. I'm glad to be back. Thank you."

"Miss Haru, please enjoy your stay in the Cat Kingdom, we promise to make this experience as wonderful as possible."

Natoru stepped back, giggling with that signature, dumb grin.

 _Good to see someone never changes…_

"I am certain you have met my helpful servant, Natoru at one point or another. Guests, meet my adviser, Nagara. Natori, my father's advisor, retired alongside him. Nagara is my pick as the next Royal adviser, he earned the title as well. Nagara, allow me to introduce, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, Haru Yoshioka, Toto, and—don't be alarmed, Renaldo Moon, you can refer to him as Muta."

Nagara, the grey cat, stepped in front and bowed, one which Haru returned.

"Pleasant morning, ladies and gentlemen. The name is Nagara, at your service."

"It's our honour, Nagara."

Nagara smiled as a reply to Baron, his speech, polite; composure, professional. He wore similar clothing to the former Cat King's Royal Adviser. Even his facial features and slim build bears quite a resemblance to Natori; his son, perhaps? Nagara seemed to be at a similar age to Lune, albeit just a little shorter. His fur was well kept, and his blue eyes shone with intelligence. Overall, he looked like a rather likeable fellow.

"Now, it is important that you get in good terms with them, as they will be in charge of running the entire event and keeping things in check."

Lune declared to the group before turning around to face his servants.

"In a moment, I would like to take our guest to the Royal Court. Arrange some Guards for me, yes?"

"As you wish, sire."

With that, Nagara and Natoru left the scene, but not before Lune asked Nagara a question, softly.

"Say, where's Onyx?"

"He is busy at the barracks, sire."

"I see…get the sergeant then, he'll do."

"As you wish, sire."

Lune turned back to face his guests after his little conversation.

"You heard me, we're going to the Royal Court. Follow me, it's just a short walk to the place."

They began making their way down the stairs again, this time, leading to the massive doors of the castle. A pair of Guards opened them for their king, revealing two carriages, larger than the one Haru rode on her way into the castle, and grander, too. Surrounding them were escorts of about ten Crown Guards, some carrying shields, dressed for trouble instead of ceremony, a few of the brawnier green soldier cats, as well as Natoru and Nagara.

"We won't need the carriage, sergeant, the court is just a short walk from here."

"As you wish, your majesty."

"Move on, men! Push the carriage back!"

A ginger Guard gave orders to 4 other Guards as soon as Lune's order was passed down. He appeared to be the sergeant, as the coat he bore were slightly different than the others, his shoulder displayed markings that represented his rank. As soon as 4 other Guards came to fill in the vacant spot, they departed.

On their journey, Haru got the opportunity to soak in the beautiful scenery of the Cat Kingdom, the scattered little domes that became the homes of families of cats, the oceans of cattails and the wind-woken waves they make, the fading meows of cats playing in the tall grass, their tails occasionally appearing over the green before disappearing again inside it, painting an image one can never forget. Haru couldn't even blink at the heavenly sight before her, until she felt a prick in her mouth.

 _What is…am I growing fangs?_

Haru looked down at her hands, well, they're paws now.

 _Well, I guess I couldn't help it._

She just shrugged as she diverted her focus away from her paws, this time, on her cat companions walking beside her. Muta looked a little out of breath, Baron looked as sharp as ever, Toto decided to take flight instead of hopping awkwardly, the rest of the escort and Lune walked quietly, the small crunches of their shoes seem to only come from Baron and Haru, as the rest chose to be barefooted.

Haru shifted her gaze back to the serene countryside of the Cat Kingdom, letting the morning breeze take away her mind as they continue their little walk to the Royal Court.

It felt like nothing could go wrong.

"ROBBERS! STOP THEM! STOP THEM!"

The wind blew Haru's mind right back at her when a shout pierced through the air. The escorts wasted no time as they drew their swords, their sharpened steel gleaming in the sun, they closed in to form a compacted phalanx, some cats raised and joined their shields to defend against any attack that might come their way. In just a split second, the peaceful countryside transformed into a war zone; the tranquillity that wafted through the air previously shifted dramatically to an electricity of tension, suspense, and fear. They walked right into a cliff edge.

Just moments afterwards, two cats bolted out of the tall grass and bushes, a black and brown blur darting across the road, following behind them were green soldier cats, clearly having trouble catching up with the much faster pair, but Baron was faster than both.

They must've not expected to run into the King's personal escorts as they stumbled for several milliseconds upon seeing what seemed to be a battle group in front of them, it was all Baron needed as he somehow slipped through the dense wall of Guards, cane swinging at the escapees' feet.

 **Smack! Smack! Smack!**

With just three precise blows, the pair of greased lightning came to a grinding halt as they were both knocked down by the hard wood that is Baron's cane. Their attempt at regaining their footing was destroyed when the green soldiers finally caught up and slammed them right back down with a tackle, stopping their escape for good. They all got sand and soil on their faces when they were brought to a stand by the green soldiers, both looked hatefully at Baron.

"You all made so much fuss chasing us down, but are blind to who's the real danger!"

"Just look at that cat in the hat! He's not even cat! He's a damn FREAK!"

"I wonder if he even BLEEDS!"

"SHUT UP!"

One of the green soldiers snapped at them, silencing their protests.

"We're sorry, your majesty. These snakes are too slippery, we couldn't catch them in time."

"No need for apologies, just bring them to where they belong, job well done."

"Thank you, sire."

Lune dismissed the green soldiers as they carried off their prisoners, before asking:

"Everyone alright? No one's hurt, yes?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Very well, thank you, Baron, for your help."

"There's no need, your majesty. I was just in the right place at the right time."

With that, the escort returned to their original position, their swords sheathed, shields lowered. The entire situation was neutralised as soon as it became dangerous. They were on their way once again. Haru looked at Baron, his expressions unchanged, as if nothing just happened.

"Baron."

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Miss Haru. I'm fine. Words never hurt me; never did, never will. Thank you for your concern."

Baron smiled to reassure Haru. It seemed to do the trick as Haru almost immediately looked away. What Baron didn't know is that Haru is quietly glad that she had a coat of fur to hide the burning heat on her cheeks.

* * *

"Here we are. This is the Royal Court."

Lune introduced the large building to his guests, it resembled a mansion, the white pillars that supported the roof stood almost as high as the castle walls themselves, beside them were, what looks like, statues carved in a Renaissance style. Surrounding the small path towards the front door were...more cattails, of course, a large fountain, and many, many topiaries, their green glow under the sun made them look livelier than any stone could ever be. The arch door in front of them was as tall as could be, rivalling the castle's own, on them were beautiful carvings, the engravings glowed a golden gleam, and the polished wood was so glossy they resemble glass. It was quite the door. Upon reaching it, the two massive doors parted, allowing entrance.

They were greeted by some servants and guards, which all bowed before their visitor. Immediately in front of them was, what seemed to be, the cat version of Lady Justice, the large bronze statue towering above everyone else. Behind it were two stairs that led to a balcony above, between them were stairs that led down to...another door, this one, obviously smaller, but its size was no match for its beauty, beyond it was a long hallway, with several rooms connected to it, the walls lit up dimly under the glowing stones, at the other end, an archway, and light.

"This hallway leads directly to the centre of the court, which will be our ballroom. Let's take a look, shall we?"

As they approached the end of the hallway, the view began to piece themselves together bit by bit, before eventually, as they exited the hallway, came into full view. Haru couldn't help but wow at the sight before her, the ballroom seemed so small from the hallway, but once they walked through the small window, the vastness that is the Royal Court took her by complete surprise, before her was a great, wooden floor, surrounding it were rows upon rows of chairs, extending upwards in a stadium fashion, at the other end of the court was a tall balcony, a large piece of cloth hung over it, bearing, what Haru assumed was, the Royal Family's crest.

Every piece of wood, every inch of stone was art itself, the rows of chairs were decorated with ribbons and bows, the walls had paintings on them, each window was a picture themselves as hundreds of tinted glasses joined to create a marvellous jigsaw puzzle, the largest Haru could see seems to form an image of Lune and Yuki. Even the ballroom floor had golden trims engraved into it. Above them were something Haru didn't expect to see out of the churches of Italy and Vatican, massive paintings of stars, clouds, and of course, cats, covered the entire ceiling, among them were two massive chandeliers, the largest Haru had ever seen. One glowed a gentle white and the other shone a golden brilliance, the white chandelier surrounded by stars and the yellow one surrounded by clouds, both casted lights that basked the entire ballroom and reveal it in all its glory. Haru was quite in danger of oxygen deprivation, it took all of her breath away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Royal Court. In just a few hours, this place would be filled with cats, music, and most importantly, fun. As some of you might have known, the ballroom of the Cat Castle wasn't quite as big, but we got a grand audience. By 7 o'clock, we will open the gates and let the guests in. I've arranged seats for you over there."

Lune pointed at the far end of the ballroom, the high left seats were theirs, quite visible for the...extra-large chair available only over there.

"Now, I'll show you where the restrooms and dressing rooms will be, then we'll end our tour. If you need anything, just give one of the servants a call, they'll help you."

Haru (quite unwillingly) left the ballroom as they went on with their tour, taking the same path back and went up the stairs instead of down. They were led to a long hallway surrounding the entire building, and every 50 metres or so is a restroom and a dressing room. They ended their journey at the front door of the Royal Court.

"That's all the places you need to be in the Royal Court, please be advised that 'staff only' areas are out of bounds, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves in this journey. I'll be seeing you at 7 o'clock."

Haru was about to leave the scene (and return to the ballroom) before Lune called out to her.

"Haru, do you have a moment?"

"Yes?"

"It seems that we haven't discussed your time of departure from the kingdom."

"Oh..."

Haru's heart sank a little at the thought of having to leave the Cat Kingdom.

"So, the same rules apply. If you return no later than the break of dawn in the human world, you can return human. Otherwise, well, you stay a cat."

"I understand."

"But there's a catch."

"Huh?"

"I have requested some of our magicians to make some modifications to the time in the Cat Kingdom, now they go faster. What that means, is that you'll still be experiencing time like normal while you're here, but one day here is equivalent to only one hour in the human world. Which means, if you spend six days here, you'll be able to return before 8 o'clock in the human world."

Haru beamed at the news. If she didn't know better, she would've leapt up to Lune and clung onto him until the Guards pull her away.

"See? You can smile!"

Both laughed at how exuberant Haru was, more time at the Cat Kingdom, who wouldn't be excited?

* * *

"Miss Haru? You're still here?"

Haru turned around to face the source of the voice, Baron, it turned out to be.

"Yeah, this place is just too beautiful. I couldn't even blink."

Haru refocused at the view of the ballroom again. Its classy look, lustrous windows, fancy walls and gleaming chandeliers just never grew old with Haru, even the wood gave off a pleasant scent. Occasionally, she would spot some servants bustling, busy with their own work. Baron sat down beside her as he too began to let himself lose in the heavenly sight.

"I agree, Miss Haru. This place is unlike anything I've seen before."

They sat among the thousands of seats overlooking the ballroom floor. Soaking in the view as they enjoyed each other's company, they didn't talk, they didn't need to. Haru glanced at Baron, his orange fur lit up under the chandelier light, his eyes reflecting its light like a polished mirror, he looked so...real, it would be incredibly hard to believe that the living, breathing being in front of her were, just a wooden doll. Before she knew it, Haru's face already burned with a familiar heat, she quickly averted her gaze to avoid being caught staring, instead, she put it back onto the ballroom, quietly happy that Baron is with her in this little world of light, time continued trickling, just as quiet.

 **Grrr...**

"Huh?"

The heat in Haru's cheeks intensified as a hungry beast growled in her belly.

"You haven't had lunch, Miss Haru?"

The fire in Haru's face burned brighter, rivalling even Hiromi at the sight of Tsuge.

"It's well into the afternoon now, I wouldn't blame you for feeling hungry, let's go get lunch now, shall we? Else Muta will finish everything and leave us with crumbs."

Haru smiled awkwardly at Baron, a smile which he returned. They left their seats, leaving the ballroom view behind.

* * *

"Miss Haru?"

"Yes?"

Haru's head popped up behind a sea of cattails.

"Her Majesty, Queen Yuki would like to meet you."

"Alright, I'm on my way."

Haru followed a pink servant cat to one of the dressing rooms in the ballroom, she had been strolling leisurely around the Royal Court and the surrounding countryside for hours now, thoroughly taking her time and occasionally lying and rolling in the cattail fields. Now that the ball is nearly starting, she made her way back into the Royal Court and ran into a group of servants. As soon as they opened the door to the dressing room, she was greeted by Yuki, they exchanged hugs as soon as she enters.

"Haru! Glad to see you back here!"

"It's my pleasure, Yu...Your majesty, I'm glad to be back too."

"Oh, cut it, Haru. Just call me Yuki, please."

Yuki looked much better compared to when she was just a servant, her fur was whiter, better kept, what stays though is her ribbon.

"My, my, have you grown into a beautiful young lady, Haru!"

"I...don't say that...if anything, you're more beautiful than I ever will be, Yuki."

Haru's blush returned with full force.

"Don't say that to yourself, Haru. Anyways, as promised, I will be gifting you one of the best dresses we have in store, they're right behind me."

Yuki turned around and pushed opened the doors of, what might've been the largest wardrobe Haru had ever seen.

 _Everything is so big here..._

Inside them were a splendid display of gowns, the combination of colours made them appear like solid rainbows. The dresses ranged from Victorian English to 19th century French, to somewhat modern ones, there were so many options, Haru can barely make her decision.

"Uhm…I'd like something comfortable, please. None of the tight, bandage-like ones. Can you narrow it down for me?"

"Of course, Ma'am."

The servants immediately started to sort out the dresses, by the time they were done, the dresses were already sorted to a more choice-friendly amount. What's left, however, were all hard picks, every single one looked elegant and beautiful, all sewn with expert eyes and paws, to pick a favourite is quite the challenge for Haru. Her paws began to reach out to feel the material, hoping that the sense of touch can help her make her decision, she ran her paws through each dress, hoping that one of them can be the one.

It seemed that her attempt was for naught until her paws suddenly felt air, but it isn't air she felt, it was silk that feels as light as air. She paused immediately and looked at the dress her paws just stopped on. Sandwiched between two extravagant gowns were a relatively plain one. It wasn't ugly by all means, but the number of decorations and ribbons were significantly less than its counterparts, but what it lacks in glamour, it made up for its quality. The mixture of velvet and silk weighed next to nothing as she touched it, the softness was unbelievable, the smoothness of the material felt almost like fluid in her palm.

This is it.

"I'd like to take a look at this one, please."

The servants removed the green dress from the rest to give Haru a better look, the dress was a bright emerald, with rose-patterned laces woven around the torso and shoulders in a darker shade, a ribbon was wrapped around the waist, a large, nearly transparent piece of fabric was draped around the waist, topped off by two green silk roses near the left breast, each with a gleaming emerald in the middle. Forget the 'not as glamourous' nonsense, this dress was majestic. Haru couldn't save herself from its charm as she smiled.

"Yeah…I'll pick this one."

Yuki gave her a small applause.

"You've made a fine choice, Haru. This was made from one of our best team of tailors with our highest quality silk, it has been in the Royal Family Collection for a long time now. Well, promises are meant to be kept, it's yours now, Haru."

"Thank you, Yu—hold on—you're just lending them to me, right?"

Haru asked, astonished.

"No, Haru. I'm gifting them to you, on my behalf."

"I—you don't have to—how can I accept—this is one of the Royal Family Collection, isn't it?"

"No buts, Haru, I've made my decision. This dress hasn't been worn in ages, none of the previous queens like it very much, and I already had my personal collection. This dress now belongs to you, Haru. If I ever need a new one, I can order the tailors to do it again, time hasn't worn out their skills yet."

"But how am I going to explain when I bring home a ballgown like this?"

"It will remain cat-sized regardless of worlds. You can easily hide it and keep it as a souvenir."

"I...thank you so much, Yuki."

Haru was on the verge of tears when she received the news. Never had she dreamt she could actually bring one of these home, for all she knew, this dress was made worthy for royalties, it must've worth a fortune. Yuki brought Haru into an embrace when she saw the scene, and they stayed there for quite some time. When they finally separated, the still teary-eyed Haru had somewhat calmed down.

"Aww, come on. Let's try out the dress, shall we?"

Haru beamed with joy as she was finally able to be inside the dress she longed to wear. The servants took over and expertly undressed and helped Haru into her ball gown. Haru's fur and skin slipping effortlessly into the dress, and before she knew it, she was already wearing it; the fabric wrapped around her body perfectly. She was next presented with a pair of evening gloves, matching the colour of her dress.

"Looks like it fits you perfectly, Haru. No alterations needed, wonderful!"

Haru looked down into her dress again, the bright emerald fabric made her light up like a green blossom under the sun. It reminds her of the countryside of the Cat Kingdom, their tall grass, endless fields of cattails, trees and bushes that scattered here and there…

Most of all, it reminded her of Baron's eyes.

"Now that's done, time for some makeup!"

"Is that necessary?"

"No, but it never hurts to look better. Trust me, by the time we're done, boys are going to line up at the door just to meet you."

"D—Don't say that!"

"Hahahaha..."

The servants sat her down in front of a dressing table and got busy. Several minutes passed with them making Haru's face a canvas, occasionally instructing her to sit still. Haru never knew much about makeup, only the bare necessities she needed when going to any formal event, so she only obeyed their orders and hoped for the best.

"Alright, Miss Haru, we're done," one of the servants called out to her.

"You look gorgeous," another one followed up with a compliment.

"Really?"

Haru opened her eyes, in a split second, she saw a stranger, yet, oddly familiar. Her skin was light brown; her nose a soft pink; her eyes were large, above her eyelids were dark brown eyeshadows, highlighting the shape and gave it more depth, before gradually dissolving into her fur, mixing into a flawless blend, their dark colour complimented her iris, making its brown more vibrant, while her entire eye gleamed as if they were polished glass; protruding above her head was the most perfect pair of ears, their edges splendidly smooth and curved, the fur near the base extended outwards like tiny feather grass bushes, and the insides were a delicate gradient of pink, she was a sight to behold. After that split second had passed, Haru finally registered that she was looking into a mirror. The person was her.

She looked breath-taking.

"I—Is this—me?"

"See? I wasn't lying. Boys won't just line up at the door, they'll even gladly go to war for you!"

Haru continued to examine the new look she received, she always considered herself average at best, even with makeup, she didn't know she could look…this good. She knew how different a person could look under heavy makeup, but Haru didn't look like another person, she looked like…well, like Haru.

But it's a perfect Haru.

"Now, just one more thing to complete the set, Miss Haru."

A servant presented her a choker necklace, it was made of silk, with roses laced onto it. In the middle, a shimmering emerald.

"Wow…"

The servant helped her engage the tiny hook that held it in place, the name 'choker necklace' might sound a few alarms, but this one isn't choking anything anytime soon, considering that it is made from the same material Haru's dress was made of, she could barely feel the silk, only the hard stone that is in front of it.

"Well, the guests are going to enter any second now, you ready, Haru?"

She looked at the mirror again, how long had it been? 10, 15 minutes? So little time, so much difference, Haru could hardly believe it herself. She took a deep breath, then looked at herself in the eye.

"I'm ready."

"Wonderful, I believe Lune already showed you the inside-outs of this place, yes? Good, it'll be my turn to get ready now, be sure to return to your seat in time, or the guards won't let you in, okay? Wonderful, have a great time, Haru! See you in the ballroom!"

"See you!"

Haru left the dressing room and returned to the hallways of the Royal Court, she peered at one of the many clocks situated around the building, there was still some time left for her before she had to return.

 _Well…hope they don't mind me hanging around the men's dressing room…_

Some guests had already arrived at the Royal Court as Haru made her way to the men's (tomcats'?) dressing rooms, grabbing the attention of a few cats as she jogged past them. It wasn't long before she arrived at the men's dressing rooms, where groups of cats stood, male and female alike. Despite her trying to tiptoe, she had trouble looking over the heads of the tomcats—many which were facing her way. She spotted many ginger heads, but none belonged to Baron.

 _Well, I suppose I have to wait for him in the ballroom, I need a break from so much walking anyways._

She ignored the stares of many cats—and the complaints of their wives and girlfriends—and turned to make her way to the ballroom. Before stopping abruptly when she nearly ran into a cat, his chest the only thing she saw when she braked.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me."

She was about to get out of his way and leave when two strong paws grabbed her forearms and stopped her in her tracks.

"Whoa there, missy, what's the hurry?"

"Uhh..."

She was stunned for a moment as the cat got her tongue.

The tomcat stepped back, revealing him as a ginger. He was wearing a rather lavish military ceremonial coat, complete with a set of medals. His fur well-groomed, and he stood at an impressive height.

"The name is Sir Abraham Lorraine Castoldi O'Donnell, it is a great honour to meet you, Miss Haru. Having heard the news of your escape from the King, I am most impressed."

Abraham bowed at Haru, which she returned for politeness' sake.

 _You want some bread to go with that cheese?_

"Pleasure to meet you...Sir Abraham. If you don't mind, I'd like to return to the ballroom."

She was on her way when her wrist was grabbed again by Abraham. Now, she's agitated.

"What?"

"There is still some time left before the door closes. Let's shift our conversation to somewhere more...private."

Abraham winked at Haru as he ended his speech.

Abraham would sound like quite the character when first heard of, he was rather wealthy, tall, strong, handsome, probably a war hero as well, think Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, in cat form. But his method of wooing a lady left much to be desired, very much. Haru never had experience in dealing with these types of men before, she was caught completely unprepared.

"No, let's not. I'd like to leave now."

"Well, what can I say..."

Abraham leaned closer to Haru, the shadow of his head almost drooping over her, but Haru stood her ground.

"...I like a challenge."

"If you like challenges that much, I refer you to the School of Intellectually Disabled Children, any textbook there should be more than enough!"

 _Good one, Haru._

Abraham just straightened and laughed.

"Hahahaha—a feisty one..."

Abraham eyed Haru while licking his lips.

"...I like it..."

Haru was about to claw that stupid smirk right off his face when another cat intervened.

"Hey, cut it! She said she isn't interested, leave her be!"

Abraham turned towards the source of the voice with one hell of a frown, it's a spotted white cat.

"And who the hell are you? I'll let you know that you're talking to a cavalrycat of the 22nd Battalion. Stay out while you still can."

The spotted cat was completely unfazed when he snapped back.

"Sorry to inform you that the horses are the only thing you'll be getting onto, Sergeant Asshole!"

"Say that ONE MORE TIME!"

Haru got out of the scene quickly when the two cats started to fight, she had no interest in watching them; on her way she passed by two guards who were rushing to help the situation, mumbling something along the lines of: "Those cavalries again..." and "Just wait till they get drunk..."

* * *

Haru sat down with a great huff. Never had she dealt with so many men trying to woo her before. They were well into the seating when she finally got to catch her breath.

 _I suppose being pretty is not all sunshine and rainbows..._

"There you are, Haru. I was about to go looking for you—goodness, you look gorgeous!"

Toto's voice came from above, Haru looked up to see him sitting on a beam, looking down at her.

"Yeah, I spent a little time getting ready, you know."

"Hmm...hope the guys weren't giving you much trouble."

"No, not really. Thank you, Toto," Haru gave a weak smile.

 _Yes, yes, they did...I think I'll clear my makeup right after this..._

Wanting to change the subject, Haru asked.

"Speaking of the guys—where's Baron and Muta?"

"Baron, I believe, is being his usual busybody. Muta is eating, like always."

"I see..."

"Speaking of which, I better check on that fat pork soon...you okay with here alone?"

"I'll be fine, Toto."

Toto didn't seem convinced at Haru's answer, "I hope so…here. Take this."

Toto somehow produced a small stone from his mouth and dropped it onto Haru's paws. It looked like a piece of marble.

"If you ever need help, just chant the words written on it. When it vibrates, that means the charm worked. I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Alright, thank you, Toto."

"You're welcome. I'll get going now, have a good time, Haru."

"You too, bye!"

Toto conjured quite a lot of wind as he took off from the beam, squeezing through a nearby window, several other guests yelped in surprise as they saw themselves in the shadow of a giant black crow. Haru sat back on her seat as she awaited the starting of the ball.

* * *

The sounds of bells echoed through the Royal Court, twenty-one rings, each representing one hour, 9 pm, it says, the ball had started. Yet Haru still sat alone, with Baron not around, Muta nowhere to be seen, Toto gone with the wind. Haru simply sat there with concern, boredom, and perhaps, slight annoyance.

As the echoes of the bells subsided, the large curtains of the tall balcony overlooking the main entrance of the ballroom floor parted, grand music started to play as Lune, alongside Yuki, dressed quite lavishly in white and red, complete with a cloak, crown and sceptre, walked out onto the balcony, attracting the gaze of every pair of eyes in the ballroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, generals and soldiers, dear guests; I, the King of the Cat Kingdom—"

"—and I, the Queen of the Cat Kingdom—"

"—are delighted to have all of you present in our first wedding anniversary, we thank you for joining us in this lovely evening."

Their little speech was met with a round of cheers and applause. As the claps subsided, Lune opened his mouth once again.

"Without further delay, let's begin our first waltz of the night, the first of hundreds more to come."

The Royal couple left the balcony as the guests began to stand up and head down onto the ballroom floor, Haru started to get really worried, she didn't have a partner. She was hesitant to leave her seat until she felt a slight nudge on her back.

"It's okay Miss Haru, just go down there, you'll find a partner, trust me."

Natoru urged her to go on.

"But Natoru…"

"No but's, Miss Haru, we promised a good time, that means you have to dance. Sitting here all lonely isn't fun, now is it. Come on, you'll have no trouble finding a partner, I promise. In fact, they'll be lining up just to have a chance to see you! Dancing can be a great fun even with strangers too! Now, no excuses, Miss Haru, please go down to the ballroom floor."

Natoru blabbers without pause as Haru was, quite literally, pushed down to the ballroom floor, before bidding her goodbye, complete with a smug grin. The small stairs that connected the ballroom floor and the seats were removed by servants as soon as Haru's paws left it, leaving Haru standing alone at the edge of the smooth wooden floor, facing Natoru in despair. Haru buried her face into her own paws as she sighed into it.

 _Why must everything end like this…_

"Miss?"

Haru turned around to meet a white cat standing in behind her, tall and fair. Upon seeing her turning, he bowed down gracefully, which Haru returned.

"Will you favour me with your paw for this dance?"

 _Well, that WAS quick._

"I—"

Haru was about to make reply when she caught eye of a particular ginger cat, a particularly familiar one too. Between them were several dozen other couples, they locked eyes as soon as Haru saw him.

Baron just gave her a playful smirk and stood there.

 _...schadenfreude...have it your way then!_

With Haru's gaze now placed back onto the white cat, she smiled and finished her reply.

"With pleasure sir."

The gentlecat smiled back and took Haru's paw as the band started to play, the white cat held her gently as they waltzed gracefully across the polished wooden floor, amongst hundreds of other couples. Their eyes were focused on each other and only each other as they twisted and turned alongside the melody, his crystal-like blue eyes glued to her soft, brown ones. The rest of the world just passed by like a blur, it's just Haru and her partner in their music-filled world. Time and time again she would break their embrace to engage in a spin or a dip, time and time again Haru's body would land back into his arms, her eyes back on his.

At last, the music began to slow, and Haru bent down for their last dip, his arm wrapped behind her back, supporting her entire body weight as they lowered. As the last echo of the band lifted into the night sky, so did the dancers' bodies, every couple bowed at their partners at the end of their dance, mates anticipating the next piece of music, while strangers bid each other farewell to seek other partners.

"You dance wonderfully, my lady. It is a great pleasure to have your hand as my first tonight."

"I would say the same to you…I'm just a meowsy dancer…"

 _Haru, not again!_

"Pardon my rudeness, but your performance proved otherwise."

Haru couldn't help but blush at his compliment, in fact, she knew that she nearly stepped on his toes on multiple occasions, only to miss by an atom or dodged expertly by her partner.

"I shall not waste your time any longer, I wish you a lovely evening. Farewell."

The white cat left after one last bow, his snow-white head disappearing behind the crowd.

 _I wonder if I'll meet more strangers like him tonight..._

As though suddenly remembering something important, Haru snapped her head back. Searching for…him.

 _There he is…_

Baron was still at the other side of the ballroom floor, his green eyes glowed brighter than anyone else's, this time, however, Baron took the initiative to approach Haru, and she did the same. As they closed in on each other, Haru could get a better look at Baron's new outfit. He had shed his old white tuxedo and changed into a light grey one instead, his top hat and cane were also missing, giving him a more formal and reserved look as opposed to his usual, rather dramatic red, blue and white combination.

They met at the centre of the ballroom.

"Shall I have the pleasure of dancing with you, Miss Haru?"

It was Haru's turn to smirk.

"But I'm a meowsy dancer…"

"Trust me."

Baron once again took Haru's hand as a single accordion begin to play, followed by the rest of the band. The same couple engaged in the same dance along the same music, one year apart, and this time they will finish it. The dancers glided like figure skaters on ice, spinning and skimming across the ballroom floor with cat-like grace. Haru's eyes were stuck to Baron's, and Baron's welded to hers, round and round they spun, her tail chased his, and his chased hers. It was a moment of magic.

Yet during moments like these, time flies awfully fast. Before they knew it, the climax of the music was already over, and Haru recovered from her final dip. The guests proceeded to leave the ballroom floor to make space for the still sitting guests. With her hand in Baron's, he led Haru back to their seats. As they sat down, Haru spotted Natoru giving her a thumbs-up on one of the upper floors, which she returned with a wave and a smile.

 _Natoru was right, dancing was a great fun even with strangers._

"Where have you been all this while?" Haru asked as they sat down on their respective seats.

"I was in a little conversation with the King, Miss Haru. Looks like I got a little too carried away."

"I see..."

They sat in silence as they watched the couples dance to their hearts' content on the ballroom floor, the enchanting music filling the ballroom as little figures spun and whirled alongside the melody, their feet painting a picture of otherworldly beauty. How she wished this moment could last forever. The cats danced waltz after waltz, minuet after minuet, even the rather odd four-couple quadrille. At one point, a group of Scottish Folds brought swords onto the ballroom and danced on top of them, which Haru watched in great wonder. By the time Haru returned from her eighth dance of the night, she was quite spent, how European people back in the days kept this up through the night is beyond Haru.

"Say, Miss Haru. How does it feel to dance with complete strangers? Have you done this before?"

"Oh, it was quite fun actually. I've never done this before, never would've thought it was so easy."

"I see the gentlecats weren't giving much trouble."

"No, they were quite nice, they have been very polite."

 _Well, save for that Abraham Castoldi Whatever…_

As the couple watched the following dance, Haru felt some pressure on the side of her head. Snapping back to reality, she hurriedly straightened herself as she realised she dozed off on Baron's arm, a blush forming on her face.

"I—I'm sorry, I was a little tired." Haru laughed nervously.

"It's okay, Miss Haru, I don't mind." Baron simply replied with a warm smile.

As though jealous, the heat on Haru's cheeks increased in intensity. Haru looked away before she can get any more embarrassed, decided that she'll continue watching the cats instead. However, the harmonic music and hypnotising tails of the dancers did little to cure her drowsiness as her head got heavier and heavier.

Then an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

She could feel her head resting against Baron's torso as he pulled her close, any other day, she would've retreated with a fiery fever burning in her face, but at that moment, Haru couldn't care less. She just snuggled deeper into her cushion, letting her eyelids get heavier by the moment, before her consciousness drifted away alongside the strings of the music.

* * *

"Miss Haru."

"Miss Haru, wake up."

Haru's eyes snapped open as she heard a voice calling her, she sat back on a normal sitting position and yawned, letting the view in front of her process.

"How long did I pass out for?" Haru asked, still half-awake.

"A little over an hour. Just in time for supper though."

"Supper?" Now she is fully awake.

"Yes, supper. That should get you up and running again. Speaking of which, we should leave now, else we might not make it."

Sure enough, most of the guests had left the ballroom. The music stopped, and servants could be seen mopping the floor.

''Alright, let's go."

Taking Baron's arm, Haru was led to the dining hall. Passing by a clock, she caught a glimpse of the time.

 _1 am? Is it this late already? No wonder I'm dead tired…_

After several flights of stairs and some walking, they arrived at the dining hall. Two long and wide tables were immediately in sight upon entering, each could hold up to dozens of hungry guests and hundreds of filled plates (empty ones too). The ceiling was lit up the same way as the ballroom, two large chandeliers glowed brightly upon the cats, basking the dining hall in a glittering splendour. The couple sat down next to each other and waited, soaking their eyes on the painting before them while they were at it. Surprisingly, Muta was nowhere to be seen.

They didn't have to wait long before servants came streaming into the dining hall, each with a large plate in hand. Two trains of cats passed by the tables, before wrapping around and leaving the way they entered, dropping their load along the way. By the looks of it, they were appetizers, and do they look delicious. The oysters were glimmering, the prawns glowed a delicious red, and the pastries were expertly garnished with herbs and caviar, and those were just the ones that were immediately available.

Soon afterwards, came the main course. Large plates were carried into the hall by yet another train of servants, the roasted chicken with their brown, crispy skin; the giant grilled fish with their milky white flesh; and the monstrous steamed lobsters, their skin shone a lively red; even mice were brought onto the table (which Haru had no interest in eating), the savoury smell of the food immediately filled the atmosphere, Haru never felt this hungry before, her lunch seemed ages ago. When they saw the end of it, there was more silver of tableware than white of tablecloths.

When all tables were served, and all servants had left, the sounds of a small bell rang on the far end of the dining hall. Heads were turned that way as the hall silenced. A single Russian Blue stood up, hundreds of eyes crossed a single pair of mismatched ones.

"Let the feast, begin."

As soon as the King took his first bite, the rest of the guests followed suit, helping themselves and recharge their energy for another round of music and dances.

"Itadakimasu!"

Haru announced as she, too, started working to satisfy the beast in her belly.

* * *

Haru held back what would be her tenth burp of the night, a soft napkin pressed against her mouth to wipe off the excess food that escaped her wrath, her stomach reached its full capacity and was trying its best to clear the gas. After the main course, the little space left was occupied with dessert. Cakes, chocolate, jellies, pastry…you name it, they probably had it. With such a satisfying main course, one would expect Haru to be reserved on her share of the dessert, but as Muta would put it: "There's always another stomach for dessert."

"Is it okay to leave now, Baron?" Haru asked as she finally had enough.

"Given that the King already did—yes, it is. Shall we?"

Haru took his outstretched hand with a smile.

 _Even at times like these…_

"We shall."

The hand proved useful as Haru's legs need some warming up after having sat down for hours. Together, they left the dining hall, and began to make their way back to the ballroom. Upon entering, the first sight they see is a giant white cat sitting where they were before.

"Muta! Where have you been? I thought I'd see you at supper!" Haru was quite happy to see her large companion.

"He was at another room, they didn't want that porco bianco ruining the actual dining hall. So, they shifted his share over there."

Haru didn't need to look up to know where that voice came from.

"No one asked for your input, chicken!"

"Let me guess, you cleaned them up," Haru said with a smirk.

"Duh..." Muta answered with a less cheerful tone.

She laughed as she sat down beside him, it's good to be back with her friends again.

* * *

As most of the guests had returned to their respective seats, the band, too, came back to man their instruments. It was at this time that Haru regretted that she ate so much, she could barely ascend the flight of stairs back to the ballroom, much less dance at the ballroom floor without losing focus.

"Ugh, I'll be going out for a walk...it's too noisy here."

"Is eating or sleeping the only thing you know, lard barrel?"

"Beat it!"

Muta swatted at Toto, who flew away just in time, millimetres to spare.

"Yeah…I think I need a walk as well…I've eaten more than my fair share of food…" Haru chimed in.

Muta wasted no time as he rose from his chair to seek the closest exit, with Haru and Baron in tow. They departed from the Royal Court to the outer courtyard, where statues stood alongside topiaries, and cattails waved at the slightest breeze. It seemed that Lune had put his magicians to good use, the perpetual daylight in the Cat Kingdom shifted to night, cooling the atmosphere to a romantic serenity. Under the sun, the topiaries looked so lively, they almost jumped and ran; but under the moonlight, it's the stone and bronze that lived and breathed. Haru wondered why they weren't Creations themselves. Few cats were outside the courtyard, save for some soldiers, this left the group some moments for themselves.

A few minutes of walking and chatting under the gaze of stone eyes quickly led them to the back of the Royal Court, where another gate stood at the tall fences, what also stood were Royal Guards.

 _Looks like the King's exit…_

Alas, that was the only place where a bench large enough to fit Muta was found. Muta, having walked his (self-perceived) daily required steps, decided to just sit down and pass out, and sit down he did. Ignoring the stares of the Guards and the creaking of wood, Muta took up the entire bench as he dropped his weigh onto it. Haru could hear Baron's muffled sigh.

"Really? You barely walked the full length of a dinner table and you are out of breath?"

"Shut up! I'd like to see you walk this distance instead of fluttering those feathers of yours, birdbrain!"

"Don't lecture me on flying when you couldn't even lift all your toes off the ground by yourself, marshmallow!"

"Go get fried, chicken wings!"

Muta grabbed a stone and chucked it at Toto, who dodged the missile as if done a thousand times. Amidst their fighting, Haru could hear the annoyed groans of the Guards.

"That's enough bickering from you two. Toto, we'll leave Muta be if it is what he wishes." Baron attempted to pacify the situation before they really started to fight. Fights were commonly seen near the vicinity of the Bureau, but on others' turf? It's something Baron wouldn't allow.

"That's right! Scram, damn it!"

"No one in the right mind would want to be anywhere near you anyways!"

Toto dodged another stone.

 _Well if the Guards are in the right mind, they'll probably start kicking them out._

"Guys, guys, that's enough. Let's just be quiet for a moment okay? The Guards probably won't appreciate you fighting in front of them and chucking stones."

As though suddenly acknowledging their presence, the drums of war between the white cat and the black bird stopped. Toto threw Muta a narrow glare for a goodbye before taking off into the night sky.

 _Well, that's that._

"Thank you, Miss Haru."

Baron said quietly at Haru, which she replied with a "You're welcome." Not wanting to leave Muta sitting alone, Haru and Baron sat down on the nearest bench, awaiting their large friend to get ready to move again. With the quarrels of Muta and Toto gone, they could fully enjoy the calmness of the night-time Cat Kingdom. Under the sunlight, the fields of cattails and the distant figures of cats made a lively painting; but the moonlight-lit Kingdom had a different kind of magic, the radiant moon accompanied by dazzling diamonds, the warm lights from the Royal Court, and the distant, faint music painted the sky-wide canvas a never-before-seen colour. A view that Haru can keep staring at forever.

It felt like nothing could go wrong.

* * *

AN

Hello! The arrival of this chapter is much, much later than I originally thought, and I have nothing but my own laziness to blame. As you might've noticed, I have added both a cover for my story as well as a cover for each chapter. Since my digital drawing skills are...unholy, every following cover will be drawn traditionally (pencil and paper) before inked and coloured digitally, for best results. I wasted most of my time on the book cover, as you can see, I coloured it with colour pencils before deciding that directly editing the colours in would be better, you can still see pencil traces there. Now, with most priorities out of the way, I can, hopefully, work at a faster pace and get the story in motion before August. But for now, I'm taking a few days break to catch my breath and get some sleep.

Yes, I admit I got lazy at the cover for Chapter 1.


	3. Chapter 3: Chamberlain Residence

**I am giddy while writing this, I had been planning this chapter ever since I thought up this story. Though, from this point onwards, the story will get slightly more serious and slightly darker. So consider this a warning for both this and future chapters.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Chamberlain Residence

"Sergeant, sergeant!"

A cat shouted out loud at the two Guards near Haru, panting as he jogged towards them.

"Chamberlain Residence—red alert…"

It was all the messenger could blurt out between gasps before one of the Guard officer issued orders to his partner.

"Lieutenant Price, Castle Company, go get him!"

They wasted no time taking action as one of the Guards ran off while the officer followed the messenger; and Baron, being the always helpful gentleman, decided it is a good idea to follow the pair, much to Muta's dismay.

"Baron, oi! Where are you—not again!"

Muta protested loudly as he attempted to stop his friend, without success. Left with no choice, Muta grumbled something about sticking his nose on other's business before chasing after Baron, Haru in tow.

When they arrived, Baron was conversing with a Guard officer while the Chamberlain Residence was surrounded with soldiers.

"—we wanted to capture that criminal as much as you do, but all we can do right now is trap him inside while we wait for the Guards from Castle Company to arrive."

"Castle Company?"

"Better armed Guards, now please step back."

Baron obliged as the Guard officer went back to command his troops, returning to the panting Muta, having received the most exercise he had since he was chased around the maze over a year ago.

"Baron—what were you thinking—running off like that…"

"Apologies, Muta."

"What's it to you, anyways? Why are you so anxious?"

Baron appeared to be at a loss of words at Muta question, staring into the towering cat's eyes instead.

"I—recently received a case about a wanted criminal on the loose, so I was rather—uneasy, when I overheard their conversation."

"Going to a party while having detective work on your desk, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't think they would show up this quickly—I should've thought this through, sorry."

Haru diverted her attention to the mansion instead, what kind of criminal can make Baron this worried?

* * *

"There was an intruder at the Chamberlain Residence?"

"Yes, sire. Castle Company is already on their way—"

Before Nagara can finish his report, Lune immediately rose and headed towards the door.

"I'm going!"

"But, sire, we can't risk—"

"I'll bring Onyx with me, you can't expect me to sit around and watch when my chamberlain is in trouble. I'm going, and you're not stopping me!"

Nagara could only watch the king leave as he buried his face in his paws.

"Like father, like son…"

* * *

Haru's attention was diverted to the sound of Lune arriving alongside the Castle Company, a group of Guards bearing swords, spears, shields, and more plate on their armour, alongside a different emblem on their arms.

As the arriving cats dismounted, the Guards regrouped at the front yard; while Lune walked towards his guests, following him were Nagara, and a Guard.

"Ah, you guys are here. Sorry about this little incident, but we'll fix it as soon as we can…"

Lune paused to catch his breath, muttering something about the hitching post being so far away, before he gestured towards the lone Guard behind him.

"By the way, meet Onyx, the captain of the Crown Guards' Heart Company."

The black cat nodded, green eyes looking back at the guests. As he walked closer, Haru can see that Onyx was just slightly taller than average, about the same as Lune, in contrary to the tall and burly soldiers that were usually running around. Onyx looked a little older than Lune, his black coat is short, dense, but sleek, she can even see some moonlight bouncing off his coat. Right above his white whiskers were yellowish-green eyes, they were what you would expect from the Royal Family's bodyguard, steely and tenacious, but there's something oddly…soft in Onyx's eyes, something that casts a gentle glow, in contrast to his stern, panther-like image; a British Bombay, most definitely. Complimenting his figure is a fit build, not as big and brawny as the green guards the old king used to have, but he was definitely the fit kind. His black fur clashed sharply with the uniform he was wearing, it was similar to the other Guard Officers, but he was carrying a different sword, one with a peculiarly shaped crossguard that had the steel angled towards the blade, giving it a "V" shape. All of that made Onyx a sight for sore eyes, very sore eyes.

"Greetings."

Onyx's face remained unchanged, unsmiling, serious.

 _Is it mandatory for every Crown Guard to act like tigers?_

"Come on, lighten up. We have this place all locked up, whoever is in there, there is no escape for them."

Just as Lune finished talking, a Guard officer approached them.

"Ah, sergeant, just in time. Would you let us know the situation?"

"Of course, your Majesty. Castle Company is preparing to break into the mansion, we have the entire building surrounded, and Ramal has put a spacetime anchor in this entire area. There are no hostages, and the intruder cannot escape, even by portal."

Lune flashed Onyx a victorious grin.

"See? Told you we'll be fine. In fact, let's have a little chat with Ramal while he is free, sergeant?"

"Right away, sire."

Lune then turned towards Haru and spoke in a slightly hushed tone.

"Onyx might look grumpy all the time, but he doesn't really have a temper. Most of the time, while he looks angry, he actually isn't. So, you don't have to worry about approaching him at all."

Haru nudged Muta in response, "Sounds awfully lot like someone I know."

Muta just groaned to himself.

Moments after the sergeant left, an Egyptian Mau came jogging towards them.

"You seek me, your Majesty?"

"Yes, I trust that you've made sure the intruder couldn't escape?"

"Yes, sire."

"Good, come have a chat with us while you're free."

Ramal breathed a sigh of relief as he realised he is not in trouble. He immediately put on the biggest smile that could possibly fit in his face, smoothened his robes, and greeted the guests.

"Hi, nice to meet you. The name's Ramal, sorcerer—that means I solve problems."

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, you can simply call me Baron."

"Muta."

"Haru Yoshioka, pleased to meet you."

As Ramal exchanged handshakes with Baron, his eyes got drawn to Baron's hands, then his eyes. Ramal's golden eyes widened.

"You're a creation?"

"Yes, I am."

Ramal's already large grin turned wider as he grabbed Baron's arms.

"I've never seen one in my entire life! Perhaps you can agree to come to my lab at 10am tomorrow, I'd like to—"

"Ramal!"

The sorcerer flinched at Lune's voice.

"Don't be silly, now don't talk to Baron like that!"

Ramal's grin melted immediately before the annoyed king. When Lune wasn't looking his way, he attempted to whisper to Baron.

"Perhaps we can agree to a…post-mortem?"

"I heard that!"

Ramal immediately withdrew and stood still, a surprised expression plastered all over his face, this triggered a few giggles from Haru, if this entire scene didn't play out before her eyes, she would have never believed it. Their little exchange ended when Nagara called out towards Lune, pointing at the gates of the mansion.

"Look, they got the guy."

All eyes were onto the group of four Guards exiting the mansion, holding a fifth cat in front of them. The apparent intruder had his head held low, his entire body almost concealed in his cloak.

 _He looked just like a typical medieval fantasy thief…_

The officer of the squad dismissed his subordinates as he escorted the prisoner out of the premise alone, passing by Lune and the rest on his way, allowing the king to pass on a remark.

"Good job, corporal. How's the hunt?"

"Way too easy, poor guy didn't stand a chance. I'll get him outta here."

Lune turned back to Baron.

"Well, so far for the illustrious thief-sorcerer. I expected him to hunt for bigger game, but no idea he had an audacious appetite. I wonder what he was thinking before—"

"Corporal, let me come with you."

Onyx spoke after remaining silent the entire time, causing Lune to stop his speech.

"Oh, never mind. I can get him there. I mean, you have to take care of the king."

"I already got the sergeant to take over. Now, let's go."

Sure enough, a Guard officer came by and took over, he made a "Let's go," gesture with his arms to the group.

"Come on Onyx, it's not the time to be picky."

Lune tries to persuade Onyx into giving in.

"Yeah, he's right. I can escort—"

"I insist, corporal. Now please, lead the way."

Everyone except Onyx and the sergeant had confusion spelled all over their faces. What is this fuss between the corporal and the captain?

Onyx was about to speak again when he was hushed by the corporal.

"Shh! You hear that?"

Everyone within earshot stopped talking to find out what caught the corporal's attention, but all they hear are faint, casual chatting and the rustling leaves.

"What did you hear, cor—"

"Shh!"

Onyx was once again hushed by the corporal.

"Listen closely…"

The corporal spoke softly, the officers' green eyes looking at each other.

Everyone silenced, yet they hear no anomalies.

"Corporal?"

"SHH!"

Onyx was hushed again by the corporal, now seemingly gone insane, there are still no unusual noises.

"Come on, we have to go," the sergeant spoke to the group, almost whispering, a faint urgency in his tone. "What is happening, sergeant?" Lune tried once more to get a grasp on the situation, but he received no answer.

"I agree with the sergeant, we better get out of here. Muta, would you please take care of Haru?"

"Are you trying to make me a babysitter again?"

Baron seemingly figured out what's going on, but just like the sergeant, he isn't telling anyone, leaving the rest in a haze.

"I heard people in the mansion, I think someone is still inside."

The corporal pointed at the mansion, Onyx's eyes followed. Some soldiers are still around, but no noises can be heard from them. If the corporal can hear something from inside the mansion at this distance, surely the ones right in front of it would've heard it, but Onyx can spot no reaction to that mysterious noise.

"I think you heard one of the squads sweeping the area, now let's not waste much time, we have a prisoner to—"

BANG!

By the time they turned around, they saw the corporal with his right arm outstretched, as if he is trying to push the captain—who was flying in mid-air.

"God damn it, Guards!"

The sergeant yelled out at the rest of the Guards, the entire situation went from calm, to confusing, to chaos.

Onyx didn't have time to draw his blade when he was blasted airborne by a powerful spell, his breath completely knocked out. As he was in the air, Onyx caught a glimpse of the corporal, his outstretched hand began to reach for his sword. Onyx twisted his body around and landed on all fours, as expected of a cat, but by the time he saw the corporal again, steel was already drawn—and it is coming in fast.

Onyx was faster.

Before the soil kicked up from his landing hit the ground again, Onyx drew his own sword and caught his opponent's blade in his crossguard, the steel rang from the impact, barely in inch from hitting skin. The corporal wasn't expecting the parry as he took some time to recover and swung his sword around for another cut, but the captain once again, proved to be faster.

The corporal's hesitation combined with the captain's oddly shaped crossguard slowed down the attacker's blade, allowing Onyx to bring his own sword around to meet the corporal's. Steel clashed with steel again as Onyx parried the blow, and this time, Onyx had his sword lined up with his opponent's throat.

Onyx leaped towards the corporal.

The captain's sword protruded from the back of the corporal's neck as he thrusted, the momentum carried the sword cleanly through, only stopping as the crossguards collide. Onyx drew his sword back as soon as he regained footing, using the angled crossguard, Onyx pushed the corporal's blade downwards, the opponent's muscles not doing much to oppose it. The captain stepped towards the side and brought his sword back up with a powerful uppercut.

"Eeek!"

Haru yelped before covering up her face with her paws, she barely caught a glimpse of the outcome of the duel, only when the corporal's body hit the ground did Haru dared to look up from her paws. Judging by the growing pool of blood, Haru could only assume that not much of the corporal's muzzle survived the uppercut.

It was over as quickly as it started, two Guards, two clashes, two connecting blows, one victor. It was nothing like in the movies, there was no sizing up the opponent, no disengagement and reengagement, no one-liners and no snarky threats. Onyx stood over the corporal's body, his shoulder oscillating as he panted silently, probably the most tiring 5 seconds of his life.

Everyone fell silent once again, even the soldiers near the mansion noticed the commotion and approached to investigate.

Muta held Haru's shoulder as he pulled her out of view of the mess.

"Baron's right, let's go."

"Get him out of here."

Onyx was the next to speak, pointing at the body at his feet, distress is clear in his voice despite his best attempt at hiding it, he picked the prisoner up (who had forgotten to make a run for it) and begin to walk him away. A Guard approached Onyx and offered to escort them, who accepted without a second word. Onyx walked, only to stop after a few steps.

Onyx turned and looked at the corporal again, as if expecting the lifeless body to jump up and continue fighting. Something didn't feel right for Onyx, he couldn't tell what, but there were strings pulling at his heart that made him feel uncomfortable.

Onyx shook his head and begin walking away, thinking that adrenaline was playing tricks on him. It seemed that everyone was in disbelieve, what exactly is happening?

"What a mess…"

A Guard muttered as he dropped a large cloth over the corpse.

"Come on, corporal—"

"—let's send you to the angels…"

Onyx immediately spun around at the sound of a blade drawing, his hand reaching for his sword.

He wasn't fast enough this time.

The Guard that went to cover up the body drew steel on Onyx, and thrusted his blade straight into Onyx chest, knocking him off balance before turning onto the escorting Guard. Once again, everything spun into a chaotic confusion. What's with these Guards going rogue?

The escorting Guard managed to parry a few blows before help showed up and a spear was driven into the rogue's neck, allowing the defender to turn the tide and deliver a riposte straight onto his head, dropping him instantly.

"Captain, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, my armour stopped it."

The captain was helped up by the escorting guard, his paws rubbing where the blade struck.

"What the…"

The sergeant muttered before turning his gaze onto the king and his friends.

"We must leave, now."

The sergeant picked up his pace as he escorted the group towards the horses they arrived in.

"Mount them, quick. I'll get you back to the castle as soon as—"

The sergeant didn't get to finish his speech when another Guard drew his sword, and this time, headed straight for Ramal.

Ramal wasn't as lucky as Onyx.

The blade went straight through Ramal's chest, his robes did little to halt it. Ramal fell backwards, clutching his wound in pain, his face nothing but a frozen shock.

"God damn it, medic!"

The sergeant didn't even draw his blade when he pounced on the attacker, delivering a mean left hook straight into the attacker's jaw, disorienting him for a short while before Baron joined in and tackled him onto the ground, the blade forcefully knocked out of his hand and kicked away.

Realising that the blade was pulled out of Ramal, Haru immediately knelt before him and attempted to stop the bleeding, she pressed hard on the wound as she felt hot blood spurting out with each heartbeat, if help doesn't arrive soon, Ramal would lose all his blood. Haru paid no attention to Muta's calls as she tried desperately to save whatever life remained in the sorcerer, she caught Ramal's eyes looking back at her, a frozen scream seemingly stuck in his throat, he grabbed Haru's arm and attempted to say something, but all Haru heard were incoherent gargles. Ramal coughed as he choked in his own blood, causing even more blood to spurt out between Haru's paws, red stains began appearing on his lower lip.

His grip on Haru's arm was getting weaker and weaker.

Haru could barely hear the shouting around her, the faint gasps of Ramal somehow louder than anything else, she wanted to say something to Ramal, but somehow couldn't, she could only stare helplessly back into Ramal's golden eyes. He opened his mouth again, as if attempting to speak, but his eyeballs rolled back, and a deathly sigh exited, the remaining life in him seeping away.

"Miss, miss! Please stand aside!"

A pair of cats snapped Haru out of her trance and shooed her away, they immediately took over by pressing a white piece of cloth over his wound, then flipping him over to press another one on the wound in his back, the grass beneath him soaked red. Another pair of cat arrived with a stretcher not long after, helped carry Ramal onto it, then raced off to a horse-drawn carriage nearby. Haru watched as they left—still kneeling, she looked down at her paws, her brown fur almost black, soaked in so much blood Haru could almost taste the iron. Haru almost gagged at the sight of her own paws. She wanted to vomit, but couldn't. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. She never thought blood could be so sticky.

"Haru? Haru!"

Baron and the sergeant had successfully subdued the attacker and the latter was holding him captive, the former didn't bother to tidy or brush off the dirt in his suit before rushing towards Haru to check on her.

"Haru, your paws…"

"Huh? I—I'm fine…"

"Come on, Haru, we'll get you back to safety and get you cleaned up."

Baron took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around Haru's paws, though it didn't take much before the piece of cloth was dyed red and rendered unusable. He quickly helped her up one of the horses Lune brought with his convoy, giving her a small boost up the tall horse and behind the driver.

"You aren't coming with us, Baron?"

"I…"

Baron looked behind him, the sergeant had tied up Ramal's attacker and was talking him to Onyx, seemingly having a serious conversation. The rest of the Guards were gathered up and a team of green-coated soldiers just arrived and seemed to be questioning some Guard officers, Haru can only assume they are Military Police.

"…I'll be staying behind a little. I'll catch up soon, I promise."

Baron flashed her a weak but reassuring smile, Haru wanted to return it, but she couldn't lift the corners of her lips no matter how hard she tried. With that, Baron left.

"Hold on to me, miss. We'll be riding fast."

The Guard in front of her spoke, the rest of the convoy had already left.

"But, my paws…"

"It's okay, I won't mind. A little bit of blood won't be the end of the world."

Haru complied as she gingerly held the waist of her driver, staining it red.

"Ready? Here we go."

The horse took off in a gallop, leaving Baron behind.

* * *

"God damn it, medic!"

Onyx snapped around immediately at the voice of the sergeant, and he was greeted with the sight of Ramal getting stabbed.

"What in the…"

Onyx turned towards his escort.

"Keep him in check, I'll find out what exactly is wrong with them."

The captain bolted off, leaving his escort alone with the prisoner. By the time Onyx got there, the sergeant and Baron had already subdued the attacker.

"Now that we captured one, we'll have to find out what is wrong with them as soon as possible." Onyx said to the sergeant as he helped tying up the captive.

"Him, Micah, Nicholas. Hell, all of Castle Company needs a screening."

"Castle Company?" Onyx looked up at the sergeant in reply.

"This guy, the corporal, that one, they're all from Castle Company."

"I see…"

As the captured Guard was brought to a stand, Onyx grabbed his chin and tilted his head upwards to get a good look in his eyes.

"Captain?"

Onyx didn't answer for a short while, and was instead busily inspecting his captive's seemingly normal eyes.

"I'll try to get their commander to gather up all the Guards that went inside the mansion. I think I have an idea."

The sergeant pondered a bit at Onyx's answer, before he shot him a questioning look.

"Are you sure, captain?"

"I'm not, but it's the best explanation I can muster."

Before he could make his way there, Baron chimed in.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. May I please take a look at the prisoner?"

"Oh, you again. Why would I let you?"

"Sergeant, let him take a look."

Onyx answered the sergeant's question himself.

"He is a magical being, he might see something we cannot."

"Thank you, captain."

Baron followed the same procedure as Onyx before him, tilting the prisoner's head upwards to get a look into his eyes. Baron spotted something that Onyx didn't.

"He is...under hex."

"Hex?"

"Yes, a powerful, almost untraceable kind. No wonder Ramal didn't notice it."

"Could it be that anyone that was in contact with the intruder got affected by his spell?"

"Possibly. Look, Onyx's back."

"Evening, gentlemen. Lieutenant Price, Castle Company."

Onyx brought an orange tabby with him upon his return, Lieutenant Price flashed them a polite smile and extends his paw for a handshake, which Baron gladly returned.

"Lieutenant Price is the officer in charge of Castle Company, if you need any information, you can ask him." Onyx said while pointing towards Lieutenant Price.

"Sergeant Kinn. Can I ask which assaulting squad had been in contact with the intruder?"

"Only Corporal Shephard's squad. They alone brought him out, the rest were still inside and had to be recalled."

"I see, can you tell me who made up the squad?"

"Sure, that's Elric..."

The Lieutenant pointed towards the body lying several metres away, Onyx's attacker.

"Then there's Oliver..."

He pointed to another body near the first.

"Here's Georgei..."

He pointed towards the prisoner held hostage by the sergeant, the orange tabby's expression tells Baron that he seemed to be catching onto what they're thinking.

"The last one would be Albert...where is he..."

The Lieutenant looked around, scanning the area for the last squad member.

"There he is!"

Lieutenant Price pointed behind Onyx, as they turned around, they saw the Guard that Onyx left the prisoner with, another Guard approached them.

"Private Albert! Can I trouble you for a moment?"

The Lieutenant called out to him, but he received no response.

"Private Albert!"

He called out again, this time louder.

The Guard walked faster towards the escort and the prisoner.

Lieutenant Price cursed before chasing after Albert.

"Albert! I said stop!"

Albert drew his weapon and broke into a run.

* * *

The escort Guard stared at the commotion in confusion, he tried to tell Albert that his commander was calling him but with no avail, it's not until Albert charged at him that the escort drew his own blade.

BANG!

A loud clap rang through the night as the silent prisoner generated a telekinetic blast that blew the escort sky high, despite his restraints.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Albert took out a key and start to undo the prisoner's handcuffs, the restraints opened easily with a click, but before they could make a break for it, Lieutenant Price caught up and tackled them both onto the ground.

As he struggled to hold both of them down, the prisoner conjured up his energy and sent another spell right into Lieutenant Price's belly and blasted him, too, into the air-and unfortunately, right into Baron, knocking him down.

Seeing that he got two birds with one spell, the sorcerer chuckled to himself, failing to notice an actual bird extending his talons, and approaching fast.

With one swift swipe, Toto grabbed the unsuspecting sorcerer, lifting him onto the air.

The prisoner struggled and clawed at Toto, pounding at his talons in hopes of it loosening, Toto only tightened his grip, not even when he felt magical energy gathering in his prey's paws.

Toto, as a relatively large gargoyle, had no fears of his telekinetic blast, any magical wind he could conjure will be nothing more than mild turbulence to the large bird. However, magical winds did not spawn from the sorcerer's outstretched paw; instead, a cascade of flames and embers poured out of it, colliding with Toto's black feathers. Toto did not expect to be hit by a flamethrower and dropped his captive due to the sudden heat threatening to light him on fire.

After Onyx helped his comrades up, he immediately bolted towards the dropped prisoner, as soon as he lands, he would immediately be wrestled down and had a magic dampening shackle slapped onto his paws, Onyx would not allow him to escape again.

The sorcerer would not allow Onyx to capture him again.

Before his landing, the sorcerer opened a portal right where he would land, a split second later, he disappeared into the magical trapdoor and closed it shut. Onyx could only grab at air.

Several guards rushed to help, but it was too late. They already lost the prisoner. Onyx can only kneel at the ground, staring at the soil that once had a portal opened through it.

"Come on, Captain..."

Lieutenant Price offered Onyx a paw, which he accepted.

"...we'll get 'em next time."

* * *

Haru arrived at the Cat Castle a minute after her departure from the mansion. They stopped right in front of the castle where a few servants began to take the horse and lead it to the stables. The driver dismounted and proceed to help Haru down the tall horse. She noticed him staring at her paws as he helped her down.

"Come on, ma'am, let's get your pass cleaned up."

"Thank you…and Haru, please call me Haru."

The Guard didn't reply as he led her through the hallways of the castle. Haru tried her best to ignore the glances some servants gave her as she walked past.

 _What would they think of me when I'm running around with this bloody paws?_

"Miss Haru, this is the washroom. I'll be going now, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask any nearby servants, they'll surely help you."

"Alright, thank you, thank you very much."

"You're welcomed."

With that, the Guard left her, Haru's last view of him is his back against her, and two red stains on his waist.

As Haru removed her ruined gloves, she got a good look at her own paws, the fur matted into a bloody mess, the sight alone caused Haru to recoil in disgust. She carefully turned on the tap, trying her best not to stain the polished metal. She rinsed and rubbed her paws in the steady stream of water, the blood slowly but surely drained away.

Haru exited the washroom soon after with a pair of clean paws.

 _What's that soap made of? It cleaned off those sticky blood like it's grease._

Haru decided against pondering about her bloody paws again as she tried to find Baron, or Muta, or Lune, or… anyone that could give her any sort of comfort right now. But it wasn't after a few steps that Haru sat down on a nearby bench, she felt that her legs couldn't carry her onwards any longer. For a few minutes, she did nothing but stare at the empty walls.

"Can I help you?"

A servant cat asked her softly, perhaps out of concern at the distressed girl.

"Yes, take these and wash them, please. Thank you."

"Of course, ma'am."

Haru left her bloody gloves with the servant, but halted her before she could leave.

"Can you tell me where I can find Baron? Or Muta? You know them, right?"

"Yes, of course. They're currently having a conference with His Majesty the King. You can wait outside if you want. It is up that flight of stairs, turn right, it'll be the fourth room to the right."

"Alright, thank you."

Haru left without another word, she went up the flight of stairs, turned right, and sure enough, she arrived at the fourth room to her right which had a small label: waiting room. Haru wanted to knock, but decided against it as she sat down at a nearby chair instead.

Haru glanced around the area, she appeared to be near the castle's infirmary, several benches, much like the one Haru was sitting on, were set up near the wall. Some rooms with the label "restricted access" are to her right and several rooms with the label "ward" were in front of her, alongside their corresponding number. The first room at the entrance at the hallway is "Emergency Ward 1" as Haru noticed in her waiting. Looking around made Haru wonder.

 _What happened to Ramal?_

Her question was answered almost immediately when the door to Emergency Ward 1 opened, and Onyx walked out of it. He noticed Haru almost immediately and approached her.

"May I ask why you're here, ma'am? It's quite late, do you have a place to stay?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you."

She was about to tell Onyx to refer to her by her name only but at this point, she couldn't be bothered.

Onyx was about to knock on the Waiting Room before Haru spoke up.

"If you don't mind me asking, how is Ramal? The…sorcerer."

Onyx glanced back at the room he just came from.

"Ramal is currently in that room. I just checked on him, his signs are stable for now. He lost a lot of blood, but I'm confident that he will survive, given enough time."

"Good to hear that…"

Onyx stared at Haru for a moment, seemingly in thought, before he spoke.

"Ma'am, Ramal's survival wouldn't so certain if you hadn't acted as quickly as you did. You saved Ramal."

Haru was surprised at Onyx's words. To be honest, trying to cheer her up was probably the last thing Haru imagined the stoic and stern Captain of the Guards to do, but there he was, trying to make Haru feel better about the incident.

"I…I still…feel like I could've done more…"

"I myself couldn't have done it better, Haru."

Haru looked up at Onyx in surprise.

 _He called me Haru…_

She couldn't say exactly why Onyx had this change of behaviour, but his words seemed more genuine and sincere, as if Onyx wasn't the imposing Captain of the Guards…but a friend.

Onyx shifted his gaze towards a nearby table, before he walked towards it as he excused himself.

On that table lies a few mugs and a kettle, he took a mug and filled it with some liquid from the kettle, before returning and handed it to Haru.

"This will make you feel better."

Haru accepted the mug from Onyx, it was filled with a beverage that had an orange tint, a sweet smell emits from it.

"Drink it slowly, it's hot."

Haru sipped the drink carefully, the hot liquid warmed her up immediately, and the taste of honey and a faint smell of lemongrass made her crave more with each sip. Onyx wasn't lying when he said it will cheer her up.

Haru looked up at Onyx again, his expressions barely changed since they met, he still had his 'captain' face glued to his head, nonetheless, he succeeded in cheering Haru up, a feat not even herself think was possible.

 _Now I know what I saw in his eyes…_

For the first time since what seemed to be ages, Haru smiled.

"Thank you…for everything."

Before Onyx can reply, the door opened abruptly, revealing Lieutenant Price.

"Oh, you're here. Come inside."

Onyx entered without a word, closing the door behind him. Haru was once again alone outside.

* * *

"Oh, Haru! There you are!"

Haru had been sipping at her beverage quietly when Natoru appeared near the hallway, wearing a relieved look upon seeing the girl.

"I heard about what happened back at the residence, are you okay? Are you hurt? How's your hand?" Natoru wasted no time in bombarding Haru with questions, which Haru answered patiently.

After the fourth "Are you sure you're okay?", Natoru was finally convinced that Haru is fine, letting her ask a question in return.

"Baron mentioned that the intruder had been active for a while. Can you tell me about it?"

"Uhh, yes, yes of course..."

Natoru began telling Haru the whole story, from the first hit to the most recent heist.

"…they're now discussing the plans to capture the cat, or whatever, in question. I believe they are going to take military action after their breaking in the residence of a government official and attempted murder of military personnel."

"I see…"

"Ah, d-don't worry, we'll get that sneaky bastard locked up in no time! When he finds out the Crownguards are after him, he'll soil his pants for sure, ha! I anticipate the day Onyx take him on a stroll to the gallows, I'll get the front row seat and—"

Natoru stopped abruptly.

"Sorry, I got carried away…heh."

The cat laughed nervously, apparently embarrassed.

"Oh, it's okay. I needed that laugh…"

Both of them shared a quiet giggle, one secretly glad that no one will be filing any complaints to the king, again.

"…I hope I can get tickets to that rat's hanging."

Haru gave Natoru her most unsettling grin she could muster, startling the smaller cat.

"Wha…"

"Oh, I'm just joking!"

Their quiet giggle turned into a hearty laugh as their attempts in brightening the mood worked splendidly.

"So…shall I show you your room?"

"Yes, please!"

After walking to the other side of the castle and up a flight of stairs, they arrived at a brightly lit and decorated corridor with several doors to their right.

"These are the guest rooms, yours is the first room at this end of the corridor. This is your key."

Natoru showed Haru the golden key before opening the door with it, revealing a lavish-looking bedroom.

"Ta-da! That's the dressing table, the closet is over there, that's the bathroom, we even have a water-heater, fancy that!"

Natoru led her inside and pulled out a chair for Haru.

Such a chipper fellow...

"Anyways, I have some errands to run before calling this a day. So, if you need anyone, just press this little button over there and speak into it."

Natoru showed her a small copper box with the shape of lips stamped into it, a tiny button sits at the edge.

"This is the closest thing to a telephone we have, it runs on magic instead of—uhh—domesticated lightning. Also, please be gentle with it, it's awfully delicate and horribly expensive."

"Ah ha ha ha, alright Natoru."

"That should be just about it, please make yourself as comfortable as possible...and...sorry, about everything that had happened..."

Haru immediately pulled Natoru into a hug, she couldn't bear the sad look on Natoru's face. The brown cat gladly returned it.

"Don't mention it, Natoru. In any case, I'm happy to help."

Natoru broke away after a short while, presenting Haru with a weak smile.

"Thanks, Haru. I needed that."

The girl scratched Natoru's head in affection.

"Anytime, Natoru."

Soon, the brown cat turned and left, leaving only a "Sweet dreams, Haru." with the guest inside. With Natoru gone, Haru yawned her largest yet since the last time she stayed past midnight for her exams.

 _I sure am tired...I'll take a quick shower and call it a day..._

Haru stripped her green dress off and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water rinse her troubles away.

 _I wonder how Baron is doing right now..._

* * *

 **Author's notes**

I really couldn't blame anything for the delay of this story's updates but my own laziness that made me fall behind in school studies. I started realising halfway through that I'm spending more time on the chapter covers than I did on the actual story, and due to my inexperience in drawing, that took me a long, long time. At the situation I'm in now, I cannot afford to waste any more time in things that are not important, so I have decided to postpone the chapter covers until I can afford to make them again. They will strictly be a "free time" project.

This won't happen again.


End file.
